South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet is a popular diet program developed by the cardiologist Dr. Arthur Agatston in the 1990s and widely publicized after the appearance of his book The South Beach Diet in 2003. Agatston has stated that he developed the South Beach Diet to help his overweight cardiac patients lose weight, as he had observed that many of them did not respond well to the low-fat, carbohydrate diet recommended at the time by the American Heart Association. The South Beach Diet program emphasizes moderate consumption of healthy foods prepared by the individual, and except for the first phase in which carbohydrates are restricted, does not depend on any extreme allocation of macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, or fat). [Page 709]This differentiates it from both high-carbohydrate and high-protein/high-fat diets, as well as from diets based on the purchase of prepackaged foods or meal replacement items such as meal bars or shakes.

The South Beach Diet is organized into three phases. Phase one, which lasts 14 days, is the most restrictive. All fruits and fruit juices, starchy foods, dairy foods, and alcohol are prohibited during this phase, and the only carbohydrates consumed come from beans and other vegetables. This phase is basically a short-term low-carbohydrate diet in which moderate amounts of healthy fats and lean protein are consumed during Phase 1, and green vegetables such as broccoli and lettuce are also included. The dieter is instructed to eat three meals and two snacks a day during this phase to forestall hunger. The elimination of most carbohydrates from the diet for a short period of time enhances rapid weight loss (although some of that weight is due to decreased water retention), which is psychologically reinforcing to the dieter. However, Agatston also argues that this strategy also reduces cravings for refined carbohydrates and changes the body's metabolism; both of these claims are open to question.

In Phase two of the South Beach Diet, carbohydrates are gradually added into the diet. A distinction between good and bad carbohydrates is observed, so that (for instance) whole fruit is recommended rather fruit juice, and whole grain bread rather than bread made from refined white flour. Weight loss is slower in Phase two than in Phase one, and the individual stays on Phase two until he or she has reached his or her goal weight. Wine is allowed in moderation in Phase two and Phase three.

The South Beach Diet emphasizes moderate consumption of healthy foods prepared by the individual.

Phase three is a maintenance phase intended potentially to last the rest of the person's life. The individual is no longer on a diet per se, but is assumed to have learned healthy eating habits and to be accustomed to monitoring his or her weight and food intake. Snacks are not included in Phase three because meals are larger and it is assumed an individual will not become hungry between meals. A variety of foods are allowed in Phase three, governed by a few basic principles such as avoidance of refined carbohydrates and saturated fat.

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